Beware of the White Out!

Fall is approaching fast (not that you can tell based on the weather here in Texas) and that means it's time to get excited about football! In particular for me that means Penn State football. While I definitely consider myself a big fan I admit I am no expert on the game itself so here are my top 10 "Things you need to know about Penn State football even if you don't know much about football."* Catchy right? Letterman's going to hire me any day now. Without further ado here they are!

10. Beaver stadium rocks. Just look at this video...

...and read these quotes from other Big Ten players. Every time the boys in blue walk onto that field they have a huge advantage, which is awesome since we have eight home games this year. Despite that I still think that...

9. Our schedule sucks. Not because it's difficult but because it's too easy. When it comes time to rank teams and we have the same record as someone else do you really think voters will look at wins against Akron and Eastern Illinois and rank us ahead? No they will not. Even if we are lucky enough to go undefeated (which I am in no way expecting...remember Iowa last year?) I can totally see a one loss team being ahead of us. It sucks but that's just one more reason we need a playoff.

8. Our most valuable commodity is quarterback Darryl Clark's head. He's already had three concussions. Last year we had an awesome backup, Pat Devlin, but he wanted to be a starter so he left. That means this year if Clark takes a hit our QB will be true freshman Kevin Newsome. This kid is supposed to be really talented and I'm looking forward to seeing him play but not this year unless we are up by 12 touchdowns against the Little Sisters of the Nearsighted (see item 9).

7. If Clark can stay healthy our offense can rock. Check this lineup (ok it's from last year's team but most of them are still here and I wanted to post this picture).

Left to right: Quarterback Darryl Clark, Tailback Evan Royster, Wide Receiver Deon Butler, Wide Receiver Jordan Norwood, Tailback Stephfon Green

Royster is already on the watch list for lots of awards. I could look up which ones but a) I am lazy and b) this list is supposed to be for people who don't know what all those awards are anyway so stop complaining. Yeah I'm talking to you in the cheap seats.

6. We are Linebacker U. This year we return senior Sean Lee after he was out with an injury last season. He's on track to break some records and if that means breaking the hopes, dreams and possibly a few small bones of opposing QBs on the way I'm fine with that. We also have Navarro Bowman who changed his number to 11 after PSU linebacking great Lavar Arrington. Reportedly (according to my mom who watches the Big Ten Network) his teammates are calling him "Lavarro." I LOVE IT!

5. Weak schedule = too many early games. Noon games were bad enough on the east coast but they're worse here in the Central Time Zone. I like beer for breakfast as much as the next person but it's a lot harder to get pumped when the game is over in time for the early bird special at Luby's. Plus the new neighbors will probably look at us sideways if we start tailgating at 6am in the driveway.

4. Joepa still rocks. I know this is probably the most controversial thing I will write here but he is the man. Look, Penn State is an amazing program with a long history of success and an incredible fan base. But if you don't think that we are getting at least some of our recruits because they have been dreaming of playing for the guy in the coke bottle glasses since they were just a twinkle in their parents' eyes, you're kidding yourself. Last year we had an incredible senior class that had entered the program during one of our worst losing stretches in recent history and they frequently mentioned Joepa. The man is a legend.

Let's go Joe!

3. Win or lose, you can be proud of this team. They're not all perfect but in general acting stupid and getting poor grades gets you off the field and even off the team. Every summer they put together a fundraiser for kidney cancer. They've raised over $400,000 in seven years since they began. Especially right now when so many athletes are poor role models I think this is amazing. If you want to learn more, go here.

2. We have this guy.
I admit that I don't necessarily believe we will win the game if the drum major lands his flip. But he goes out there every game and tries. That's why I love college football and PSU football in particular: every team has their own traditions that get the fans and players excited.

1. This could be our year! Ok, so maybe it doesn't look that way on paper. But that's the beauty of college football. You never know when your team is going to surprise you so you wake up early on Saturday, paint your face, scream yourself hoarse and support your team for every game. So get out there and enjoy it! Let's go State!

*Much of what little I do know comes from http://www.blackshoediaries.com/, http://thenittanyline.blogspot.com/, http://gloryofoldstate.blogspot.com/, and http://www.zombienationpsu.com/. Check them out!